An Uncle and His Nephews
by AnimationNut
Summary: A series of events surrounding Donald Duck and his nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie. From the moment when the triplets ended up with Donald to the moment where Donald decides to join the Navy.


**I do not own the Duck family. Disney does.**

**Just a series of events that occur between Donald and his nephews. Now, I have never read the comics and this is just my take on how the nephews came to be with Donald. If I feel like it, I might do one of these with Scrooge and the nephews.**

**An Uncle and His Nephews**

Donald Duck stared mindlessly at the television. The rain pounded his glass windows and lighting illuminated the pitch black sky every once in a while. It was just another stormy night. Daisy was off with Minnie doing who-knows-what and Mickey...well, Donald forgot what Mickey said he would be doing.

It didn't really matter. The duck was looking forward to spending a few hours by himself. It would be relaxing.

Boy was he wrong.

A frantic pounding at his door startled him. Donald had seen enough horror movies taking place during storms to be paranoid. He dropped to the hardwood floor and crawled past the windows and into the front hall. By then the pounding had ceased. Cautious, Donald peered through the peephole.

"_Waaaak!"_ He jumped to his feet and threw open the front door. There, on his porch, were three sobbing ducklings.

His nephews. One year-old Huey, Dewey and Louie.

"_Della!" _He hollered in anger as he scooped the crying infants from the cold cement. "_Della, you no good irresponsible b-"_

Huey-or was it Dewey?-screamed loudly. Donald hastily glanced around the empty yard and deserted street before retreating back into his house. He brought the ducklings to the living room and carefully placed them on the couch. Now that the scary sounds were not as loud and they were warm their full-blown sobs were now pitiful sniffles.

Donald ran a wing through his feathers. Della had always been irresponsible. She had always been a poor decision maker. When childhood departed them they hadn't talked as much. Donald had tried (as only a sibling can) to convince his sister she was being stupid. But she didn't listen. And so when she proclaimed she was pregnant (with no clue of who the father was) Donald was worried. Della was _not _parental material.

But he had never thought she would do something like this.

"I can't believe her," he muttered furiously. "She dumps three kids on my doorstep in the pouring rain. I know about as much about kids as she does! Who does she think she is?"

One of the boys started whimpering. Donald bent down and lifted him up. A green hospital bracelet hung from his tiny wing. Donald squinted at the loopy handwriting that labelled the bracelet. "So, you're Louie."

Louie babbled and yanked on Donald's beak. Donald scowled. "Be nice to your Uncle Donald."

Louie giggled and yanked harder. Donald held him out at arm's length and shook his head. "Little brat."

What was he going to do? He supposed he could turn his guest room into a nursery. His job paid decently. But did he really have the ability to take care of three boys?

"I could always give them up for adoption in Della's place," Donald muttered. It would be the practical thing to do.

A gurgling noise caught his attention. The duckling with the blue bracelet (Dewey!) blew a spit bubble. It popped and he squealed happily. Donald felt his beak twitch. Huey reached up and pinched Dewey's cheek. Dewey immediately started to bawl and Donald quickly scooped him up before he decided to retaliate.

"That wasn't very nice." He said sternly. Huey stared at him with wide eyes. His brothers were curled up against Donald's body. Huey stretched out his wings hopefully and Donald carefully shuffled the ducklings in his arms before picking up Huey.

"You are going to be troublemaker." Donald predicted. He bounced Huey a little and the duckling giggled.

Louie yawned widely and snuggled closer. Dewey stuck his wing in his mouth and closed his eyes. Donald stared at the feathery bundles in his arms.

It was that moment where he knew he could never give the triplets up for adoption.

...

Daisy Duck entered Donald's house. She slipped her copy of the key into her purse and followed the sound of crying toddlers.

Her boyfriend was in the living room trying to get two-year old Dewey to eat his vegetables. Huey was watching cartoons on the television and Louie was colouring a picture. "Hey, Donald. Having fun?"

Donald shot her a glare. Food covered the front of his blue sailor shirt. "Very funny. You wanna try hotshot?"

Daisy dropped her purse on the coffee table and bent down in front of Dewey. He kept his beak firmly closed and glared warily at her.

"Hey, Dew." Daisy cooed. "Will you eat some yummy vegetables for Aunt Daisy?"

"Is that another marriage hint?" Donald asked.

Daisy elbowed him in the side. Dewey shook his head stubbornly. "If you don't eat it, the tickle-monster will come!"

Another shake of the head.

"I warned you." Daisy gently tickled Dewey's sides and the toddler squealed. She carefully slipped the vegetable-laden spoon in his open mouth. Dewey's face screwed up and he swallowed the carrots. "Bad!" He wailed.

"Good," Daisy corrected. Donald left her the task of feeding Dewey and collapsed on the couch.

"Unca Donald!" Louie tugged on the hem of his shirt.

Donald grunted as he picked the boy up and set him in his lap. Louie held up the picture he had been colouring and smiled proudly. Donald squinted at the scribbled figures that he guessed resembled him, Huey, Dewey, Daisy and Louie. "It's very pretty."

"Pwetty!" Louie repeated.

Donald glanced beside him and groaned when he noticed that Huey had toddled off somewhere. "Doggone it! Daisy, did you see where Huey went?"

"You could try the kitchen."

Donald balanced Louie on his hip and hurried into the kitchen. "Waaaak!"

Huey giggled happily, the cookie box in his lap. He had crawled onto the chair in order to reach it on the table and was now covered in chocolate chips and cookie crumbs. Donald snatched the box from him and shook his head. "You little rascal."

"Mine!" Huey wailed.

Donald slipped the cookies on a higher shelf. "Not yours. Leave the cookies alone!"

Huey screwed up his face. Donald tucked the sobbing toddler under his arm. "Crying won't get you anywhere. Hey, Daisy! Want to help me with bath time?"

"You're on your own!"

...

The thunder exploded. Three-year old Dewey shivered and squeezed his eyes shut. But he couldn't escape the scary noises, no matter how hard he tried. His brothers were sound asleep, deep in dreamland.

Hugging his teddy close the duckling tumbled out of bed and shuffled down the hallway. He stopped outside of Uncle Donald's bedroom door and gulped. Uncle Donald was always cranky when he was woken up during the night.

Another thunder clap caused him to yelp in panic and charge into his uncle's room. He scrambled up into bed and snuggled under the covers.

Donald groaned and sat up tiredly. "What are you doing?"

"Sleeping." Dewey mumbled. The thunder roared again and he whimpered. "Big booms are scary."

He pressed against his uncle's side and Donald smiled slightly. "The angels are only bowling."

"They must be winning." Dewey yawned and his eyes fluttered closed.

Donald laughed. "I guess so. Go to sleep and try not to steal the covers."

"Night, Unca Donald."

"Good night, Dewey."

...

Five-year old Louie raced down the hallway. His brothers were hot on his tail feathers. Giggling madly he slid down the wooden floors. Huey and Dewey screeched to a stop. "You're outta control!" Dewey cried.

Louie waved his wings in the air and yelped in panic. He slammed into the wooden table by the stairs and the vase resting on the surface flew off and shattered against the floor. Louie tumbled head-over-webs and sprawled by the door. "Uh-oh."

Donald flew out of the kitchen and stood at the end of the hallway. "What's the big idea?" He demanded.

"Sorry, Uncle Donald." Louie climbed to his webbed feet. "It was an accident."

"_Everything _is an accident!" Donald said in exasperation. "I told you a million times! _No running in the house!_"

"Sorry," Louie said again. "I'll clean it up." He bent down to pick up the broken glass. Donald was there in an instant, preventing the boy from cutting his wing on the sharp shards.

"_I'll _clean it up." Donald corrected. "Go play in your room."

"Yes, Uncle Donald." The energetic triplets took off once more.

"_And no jumping on the bed!"_

...

Donald had always known that he would be asked the question. So when the five year old triplets came into his room after school on Mother's Day, he was already prepared.

"Uncle Donald?" Huey asked as he climbed on the bed beside his uncle, leaving his backpack by the door. "How come we don't have a Mommy?"

Dewey and Louie stared up at him. Donald sighed. "Well boys..." Maybe he wasn't as prepared as he thought he was. How do you break it to three boys that their mother wasn't responsible enough to take care of them? "Your mother just wasn't ready for children."

"Then why did she hatch us?" Dewey asked.

"She wasn't much of a thinker either." Donald muttered before he could stop himself.

"And she didn't want us, did she?" Louie whispered.

"I'm sure she cared." _In her own way. _"She gave you to me, didn't she?" _Because she was too stubborn to put them up for adoption. But I'm glad she didn't._

Huey frowned. "So we do have a Mommy, but she's not here? She gave us to you?"

"That's right. And to think, I would have missed out on all of this by enlisting in the Navy."

Louie remembered his uncle telling them lots of stories about various relatives that were in the Navy. "You were gonna join the Navy?"

"Yeah. But now that I have you to take care of I'll have to wait until you're a little older." Donald glanced at the clock. "I better start supper. Go play, and don't run on the stairs!"

The triplets filed out of the room and down the hallway. "What's wrong Louie?" Huey asked, noticing his brother's sad face.

"Uncle Donald wanted to join the Navy. But because we're here, he can't. I bet he wanted to do lots of stuff he can't do now because of us." Louie sighed.

"He doesn't seem to mind." Dewey pointed out.

"I mind." Louie said stubbornly. "Uncle Donald does lots of nice things for us. I wanna do something nice for him!"

"Like what?"

"He really wants to join the Navy. But he can't because he has to take care of us." Louie explained. "If we left, Uncle Donald will be able to do what he wants."

Huey frowned. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Well, I'm going." Louie stomped up the stairs. Huey and Dewey exchanged glances before hurrying after their brother.

When they entered the room they shared they witnessed Louie tossing various items into his backpack. "Where are ya gonna go?" Dewey asked.

"Maybe to Daisy's." Louie replied, stuffing his teddy into his bag. "Are ya coming with me?"

Not wanting their brother to go alone, Dewey and Huey started packing.

...

Daisy had just put the finishing touches on her dinner when the doorbell rang. "Who could that be?" She wondered. She fixed her bow before going to open the door. "Boys?" She exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Can we stay with you for a bit?" Louie asked.

Daisy took in their bags and frowned in concern. Had Donald blown his top at them again? "Come in, boys. I just finished making supper."

The triplets entered Daisy's home and put their bags by the door. Huey smiled happily at the aroma of spaghetti and garlic bread and eagerly ran into the kitchen with his brothers close behind. Daisy watched as they clambered onto her wooden dining chairs. "So boys, does your Uncle Donald know that you're here?"

_Of course he doesn't._

Louie gulped nervously. "No. We wanted to give him a vacation."

Daisy arched an eyebrow as she started putting food on their plates. "A vacation? How come?"

"Uncle Donald wants to join the Navy. But he can't because he has to take care of us." Louie explained. "I bet he wants to do a bunch of stuff! So is it okay if we stay with you for a bit? Just until Uncle Donald finishes doing what he wants to do without us in the way?"

_If Donald implied that the triplets were holding him back, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind. _Daisy thought angrily. She adored the triplets. They were little angels, in her opinion.

The phone started to ring and Daisy smiled slightly. Right on time. She left the boys to eat and answered it. "Hello?"

"_Daisy! The boys are gone! They're not in the house or the yard and-"_

Daisy held the phone away from her ear. Donald really did need to work on his voice volume. And his temper. "Donald! Relax. The boys are here."

"_WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY'RE WITH YOU?"_

"They're in my kitchen, eating spaghetti." Daisy snapped. "Don't yell at me!"

"I"M NOT YELLING! THOSE LITTLE BRATS! THEY KNOW BETTER THAN TO LEAVE THE HOUSE WITHOUT ME! I'M GONNA-"

Daisy rolled her eyes as Donald continued his tirade. "Donald, they came here because they wanted to give you a vacation."

"A _what?_"

"A vacation. They seem to think that they're holding you back from doing what you want to do. Like joining the Navy." Daisy put her wing on her hip. "What did you say to make them think that?"

"Nothing! I-oh, doggone it! Those little pests." His tone was no longer angry, but one of realization. "I'm coming over! Don't let them out of your sight!"

Daisy shook her head as Donald hung up on her. "Men."

Eight minutes later there was a knock on her door. "Who could that be?" Daisy muttered sarcastically. She opened the door and stared at her frantic boyfriend. "Whatever brings you here?"

Donald gave her an unimpressed look. "Hiya toots." He drawled. His wing twitched impatiently. "I believe you have three heathens that belong to me."

"They're in the kitchen. And don't be too hard on them!" She called as he rushed by her and into the kitchen.

Dewey nearly dropped his glass of milk when Donald stormed in. "Uncle Donald!"

"_What's the big idea?" _He demanded. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack? I go to get you for supper and I find out I'm the only one in the blasted house!"

"It was his idea!" Dewey cried, pointing to Louie. Huey smacked him in the wing and Louie scowled.

"Well?" Donald crossed his wings. "What's this about giving me a vacation?"

Louie glanced at Daisy, who had slipped into the kitchen. She gave him an apologetic smile. Louie stared at his webs. "Well, you said you couldn't join the Navy because of us. We wanted to give you a break so you could."

"I can join the Navy anytime I want." Donald corrected. "But I don't _want _to at the moment. I _like _taking care of you troublesome brats. You're not preventing me from doing anything."

"Really?" Louie asked.

Donald lifted the five-year old into the air. "Really."

Huey and Dewey jumped from their chairs to hug their uncle. "We love you, Uncle Donald."

"I love you too. And you're grounded for life."

"Aw, Uncle Donald!"

...

Six-year old Huey gripped the handlebars of his bike. His brothers already knew how to ride a bike without training wheels and he was desperate to prove he could as well.

"Start pedaling," Donald instructed. "And don't pedal too fast or else you'll fall. When you want to break, pedal backwards."

Huey nodded. He started pedaling and Donald jogged beside him, his wing holding on to the back of the bike. Eventually he let go and Huey sailed down the street. The boy enjoyed feeling the wind running through his feathers and picked up more speed, ignoring his uncle's cries to slow down.

His tire hit a pothole and he went flying into the deserted street. Donald was there in a second. He picked up the sniffling Huey and checked him over. "Just a few scraps. Nothing a band-aid won't cure. I _told _you not to go too fast!"

"I wanna learn to ride a bike." Huey mumbled. "Dewey and Louie can. Why's it taking me so long?"

"Everyone learns at their own speed. You'll get it eventually. You just have to be patient."

"It musta taken you a _long _time to learn how to ride a bike."

"Why do you say that?"

"You have no patience!"

"Alright, you pest. You just earned a visit from the tickle monster."

...

"Boys, can you come here for a minute?"

Eight-year old Huey, Dewey and Louie dropped their comic books and raced down the stairs and into the living room. Donald was sitting on the couch, staring at a letter in his wings. "Yes, Uncle Donald?"

"Do you remember when I told you that I want to join the Navy?" Donald asked slowly.

Dewey nodded. "Uh-huh."

"Well, I wrote to Uncle Scrooge-you remember him, right?"

Huey wrinkled his nose. "The cheapskate?"

Donald rolled his eyes. "Yes, him. I wrote him a letter-you know how he hates us racking up his phone bill. Actually, I'm surprised he paid the few cents for the stamp. Anyway, the thing is, I was thinking of joining the Navy now."

"What?" Louie cried.

"Hold on a second. I'm not getting any younger-as you keep telling me-and I don't want to miss out on too much of your lives. So I'm going to enlist for a few years. If I do so, you'll be staying with Uncle Scrooge. I managed to talk him into it."

"Aw, not Uncle Scrooge!" Huey cried.

"Why can't Daisy watch us?" Dewey asked.

"Daisy's not family. I can pass guardianship onto Uncle Scrooge easier than I can onto Daisy. Besides, I don't think Daisy would be able to watch you heathens for more than a week." Donald stared at them seriously. "But this is also your decision. Is it alright for me to enlist in the Navy for a few years and you stay with Uncle Scrooge during that time?"

Normally, when it came to decisions, Donald took over. But this one was big. It impacted them all. It was only fair for his nephews to have a say.

Huey wanted to refuse. But he knew that his Uncle Donald wanted to join the Navy for a long time. "I guess so."

Dewey crossed his arms. "Fine. But I don't like it."

Louie sighed. "We're with you, Uncle Donald. But you'll come and visit, right?"

"Of course."

"And you'll send lots of letters?" Dewey pressed.

"All the time."

"And you'll always be home for Christmas?" Huey asked.

Donald smiled. "Wouldn't miss it."

"We're gonna miss you." Dewey mumbled as he and his brothers tackled their uncle in a hug.

"I'll miss you boys to." Donald ruffled their feathers fondly. "But I'll be back. Just think of this as one great big adventure."

Huey scoffed. "Please. How exciting can living with Uncle Scrooge be?"


End file.
